


Carry My Fears

by Marlon



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Force connections, M/M, Mental connection, Romance, Spectrum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 10:07:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12885588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marlon/pseuds/Marlon
Summary: Armitage Hux always knew his connection with Kylo was strong, vibrant, unbreakable, but he had no idea how they'd be tested in the wake of Starkiller's destruction.





	Carry My Fears

The snow pelted against the windows of Hux’s quarters and drifted into high peaks in the window wells. A storm was brewing outside the base but inside, quiet serenity reigned.

“Hux.”

The wind gusted suddenly and whistled through the trees that stood guard outside the windows. The lights in the office flickered and dimmed for a moment.

“Hmm?”

“Come here.”

“In a moment, Kylo. I have to finish this paperwork.”

Kylo huffed. He hated to be ignored. Hux smiled to himself; he promised himself he would make it up to Kylo later that night.

“Armitage.”

Hux sighed, pretending to be incredibly put-upon, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth nevertheless.

“Alright, alright. What is it?”

Hux pushed his datapad away and turned in his chair, fixing Kylo with a raised eyebrow. Kylo stood, silhouetted by the bright light in front of the large windows. The storm had finally begun in earnest, obscuring the forests surrounding the base. Icy snow pummeled the windows as the wind howled, increasing in strength with each passing moment. 

Despite the many responsibilities and pressures weighing him down, Hux felt a fleeting moment of peace. For a brief moment, all was right with his world: the construction of Starkiller was proceeding apace, he was safe inside away from the winter storm, and Kylo was here and looking more at ease than Hux had seen him in some time. His eyes, normally so haunted, looked clear and calm.

Kylo nodded his head toward the cushioned window seats and looked at Hux expectantly. He huffed out a sigh and pushed his chair back, the legs squeaking over the bare floor. As he approached Kylo, the white light from the storm behind him glowed a little brighter and Hux was enveloped in a blaze of warmth, as if a blanket had been draped around him.

Hux knew that Kylo would never use his Force abilities on him, but he also knew Kylo couldn’t help reaching out to him with the Force. He often uses his ability to enfold Hux in a protective shield. Hux would never admit it, but he missed this gentle reminder of Kylo’s presence when their duties keep them apart.

Sidling up to Kylo, they stood shoulder to shoulder, quietly watching the blizzard rage. Eventually, Kylo slid his hand down Hux’s arm and laced their fingers together. He drew Hux’s hand up to his mouth and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. He slid his fingertip beneath the cuff of Hux’s glove and glanced up at Hux, a roguish smile on his face.

“May I?” 

Hux nodded and Kylo carefully slipped the black leather glove from Hux’s slim hand. Tucking the glove away within his voluminous robes, Kylo turned Hux’s hand so he could nuzzle into his palm.

“How have you been feeling, Armitage?”

“Right now?” Hux leaned into Kylo’s touch. “Less like working and more like I should spend the evening on that sofa wrapped around you.”

The artful smile reappeared on his face. Kylo pressed another kiss to Hux’s hand, his eyes glittered darkly as he observed Hux over the top of his hand.

“I meant here,” He slid his fingers around Hux’s thin wrist. His other hand dropped to gather Hux’s free hand so that he could lip tender kisses to Hux’s fingertips. “And here.”

Hux’s eyes widened at this odd line of questioning. Kylo had promised never to use his powers to divine Hux’s thoughts and feelings but perhaps he’d gleaned something anyway.

“Ah, well now that you mention it.” Hux looked away, biting his lip, “I suppose my hands and arms have felt a peculiar sort of tingling and heat lately. I assumed it was just my body readjusting to life planet-side.”

“I think not.” Kylo hummed and continued his examination of Hux’s hands. “Do you have these sensations anywhere else?”

“Here.” Hux tapped a spot over his heart. “Do I need to go to the med bay?”

He hadn’t given much thought to these phantom aches but perhaps these were early symptoms of something more serious.

Kylo hummed again, non-committally, and released Hux’s hand. He pressed his palm against the spot Hux had indicated on his chest. He looked at Hux in askance and, when Hux nodded his consent, eased his fingers beneath Hux’s uniform jacket. Hux shivered at Kylo’s touch. 

“What is it, love?”

“I’m not sure.” Kylo paused, withdrew his hand and buttoned Hux’s jacket closed. “It’s not serious, at least not in the way you’re thinking.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Hux’s slack mouth. “I should meditate on this.”

He kissed Hux again and turned to go. Hux caught him by the elbow and held tight.

“Wait a minute, tell me what’s going on.” He squeezed Kylo’s arm for emphasis and tugged him closer again. “Are you having these symptoms as well? Is there a contaminant on the base?”

Kylo cupped Hux’s face and gazed at him affectionately.

“I think,” He paused, brow furrowed. “I think that something has happened. These symptoms you’re having, I have them too. For some time now.”

“Would you stop being so cryptic and just tell me.”

“There’s a connection between us. You’re feeling it, and I can see it.”

Hux stepped back and raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean ‘you can see it’?”

“I don’t have the words to explain it right now, just give me some time to meditate and I’ll have the answers.”

Kylo squeezed Hux’s shoulder and turned to go, unlacing his tabard as he went. He stopped in the doorway to their bedchamber, the laces of his tunic slack.

“Just go back to your reports, Armitage. The Force will have the answers we seek.”

He shed the tabard, leaving only the scuffed gambeson in place, and retreated to the bedroom. Hux glared at his desk, overflowing with datapads and reports that needed his attention. With a huff he followed Kylo to the bedroom, unbuttoning his jacket as he went.

“Like hell you’re doing this without me.”

Kylo chuckled warmly from within the darkened bedroom.

“As if I could.”

\----

Hux is making his last desperate stand on Starkiller, heartsick, when a searing pain slams into his side, knocking him against the command console. He presses his hand into the throbbing centre of the pain and looks down, expecting to see blood pouring from a deep laceration.

But there’s nothing.

Nothing there but the curve of his hip, his hand clutching desperately at the fabric of his uniform.

With great difficulty, Hux pushes himself to standing. A thin sheen of sweat breaks out along his hairline as he redirects his attention to the battle once more. He punches in his command code to open a line of communication with the hangar.

“Release all squadrons.”

The pain in his side intensifies, pulsing angrily three times before subsiding into an aching burn.

Beyond the window, he sees the momentum of the battle beginning to favour the Rebels. He collapses against the console as another wave of pain explodes through him, hot tears stinging his eyes.

“Get to the shuttles, all of you.” He barks roughly at the bridge staff. They are valuable officers, all hand-picked to serve on Starkiller, he can’t bear to lose a single one. “Regroup on the _Finalizer_.”

They obey instantly and Hux is left alone on the bridge with only the noise of the battle and his agony for company. He wrenches around to the window to see that the Rebels have escalated their attacks. A stray shell detonates in the hillside too close to the command centre and the windows shatter inward in a flurry of debris. The horrific sounds of the fighting flood the room - the roar of flames, the shriek of twisting burning metal, and the shouts of the ground troops.

Hux swipes his hand across his face to clean it of grimy sweat and tears and then he too, bolts from the room.

Making his way to the audience chamber is difficult. The halls of the base are chaotic, filled with fleeing troopers and officers. He’s the only person weaving his way into the heart of the base, everyone else is trying desperately to escape the destruction.

_By the Elder Gods, where is Kylo?_

Hux shoves his way through the crowd. The droning of the alarms and the acrid scent of panic from those around him are setting his teeth on edge. The throbbing in his side has not relented. He presses his hand hard to his side and runs faster.

Arriving at the audience chamber, he skids, stopping when he slams into the door. He punches his code into the pad and stumbles through the doorway into the grand chamber. At the end of the long aisle, Snoke’s monumental hologram waits - flickering and fuzzy; it flares in and out of focus as the base crumbles around them. 

Hux dashes down the aisle toward Snoke. Behind him, the ceiling caves in, tumbling debris into the room from the floors above. The wall to his left collapses and he’s turning to look when a bolt of pain tears down his face and through his shoulder, numbing his arm. The shock of the pain makes him stumble and nearly fall. Pressing his other hand to his face, Hux expects to feel an injury caused by the collapsing roof, but his hand comes away free of blood. 

Clutching at his useless arm, he continues to lurch toward Snoke. A wave of fear, pain, and grief nearly knocks him to the ground again. He knows, now, that something has gone terribly wrong with Kylo. These phantom injuries, the sour taste of fear and sadness in his mouth, can only mean that Kylo is in danger.

He stumbles to a halt in front of Snoke. The weight of his fear, Kylo’s grief, and the Force-generated injuries, nearly drive him to his knees. Hux looks up into the blank eyes of the looming hologram.

“Supreme Leader.”

\----

“Tell me again.”

Hux was laughing as he fell back against the mound of pillows on their bed. He beckoned to Kylo, encouraging him to nestle closer. Kylo crawled up the bed and knelt between Hux’s knees.

“Again? 

“Yes, again.”

Hux reached up and tangled his hand into Kylo’s tumbled curls to guide him down. Kylo settled against Hux and captured his mouth in a tender kiss. Hux exhaled a dreamy sigh and arched up into Kylo’s body, wrapping his legs around his hips. For a long moment, the room was silent save for the low sounds of their pleasure and the howling of the tempest outside.

Hux pulled back from Kylo’s mouth and buried his flushed face in the cool pillows. Kylo nipped at his neck and pressed a line of kisses down his jaw.

“Kylo! Tell me again.”

Kylo smiled into the humid hollow of his neck and sat up.

“So demanding.” He laughed and reached for Hux’s hand, entwined their fingers, and raised their joined hands to his lips. “Here.”

Hux sighed again.

“Where else?”

Kylo pressed his lips to the pulse point on Hux’s wrist, then his fingertips. He bestowed the same treatment of Hux’s left hand and then released him. Curving forward, he kissed the spot on Hux’s chest, just above his heart.

“Here.” He whispered, raising his eyes to look at Hux from under his tangled curls.

Hux arched his chest and pressed himself against Kylo.

“Anywhere else?”

Hux moaned quietly as Kylo smiled against his chest. He gasped as Kylo’s teeth grazed his skin.

“Here.”

Hux yelped as Kylo bit down gently on his nipple and swiped his tongue over the reddened skin soothingly.

“What nonsense, Kylo, there’s no mystical Force bond between my nipple and your mouth.”

Kylo chuckled as he trailed a line of kisses down his torso to press a loud smacking kiss on Hux’s soft belly. He sat up and looked down at Hux, his face soft in the winter moonlight.

“Maybe not,” He slipped his hands around Hux’s hips. “But definitely here.”

Hux let his knees fall open so that Kylo could shuffle backwards down the bed, the crisp white shimmersilk sheets rustling softly beneath their bodies. He pulled Hux’s leg up onto his shoulder and feathered kisses to the inside of his knee. He mouthed at Hux’s delicate ankle and dragged his lips over the instep of his foot and placed a dainty kiss to Hux’s toes.

“Here, as well.”

He grinned as Hux wiggled his toes out of Kylo’s grip. Hux wrapped his legs around Kylo’s hips and held him tight. He sat up on his elbows and sighed again.

“Are those the only places, or are there more?”

“There’s more, Armitage, a lot more.” He unwrapped Hux’s legs from around himself and tugged him into a sitting position in front of him.

“Describe them to me?”

Kylo sat back, his eyes roamed over Hux’s face and down his body, as he considered his answer.

“Well, they’re, ah… red?”

Hux’s mouth popped open in disbelief for a moment, then a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

“That’s it?” Hux buried his face in his face and snorted a laugh. “You tell me that we have some sort of mystical Force connection and the best way you can describe it is ‘red’?”

Kylo rolled his eyes at Hux’s mirth but he laughed even so.

“Look, I’m not the one with the gift for embellishment.” He tugged Hux’s hands away from his face and up to his mouth to press a rough, open-mouthed kiss along his knuckles. “How would you describe it then?”

Hux laughed again. “I’m sorry, love. You can set me on fire with just one look, but your poetry leaves something to be desired.” He untangled his hands from Kylo’s and sank into Kylo’s lap. He threaded his fingers into Kylo’s curls and tugged softly. “I wish I could see the Force the way you do.”

Mollified somewhat by Hux’s gentle words and soothing caresses, Kylo hummed and buried his face in Hux’s neck.

“I can show you.” He mumbled into Hux’s warm-damp skin. “I have to project an image into your mind though.”

Hux tightened his arms around Kylo’s back.

“You can do that?” Kylo nodded against Hux’s neck. “And it’s safe?”

Kylo leaned back but Hux’s hands between his shoulder blades prevented him from moving too far away.

“It’s safe.” He paused. “Do you trust me?”

Hux nodded and Kylo brought his hands up to cup his face. He pressed his forehead gently against Hux’s. He lipped a quick kiss to Hux’s mouth, who closed his eyes in anticipation. 

“I’ve got you, you’ll be fine. If you feel too disoriented just call out to me through the Force and I’ll guide you back.”

Expectation welled within Hux as he exhaled a shuddery breath. Kylo was occasionally vague and mystical when it came to explaining particular aspects of the Force, but this was the first time he’d offered to show Hux the mysterious inner workings of his powers. He settled himself more firmly in Kylo’s lap and from beneath him, Kylo rumbled a laugh.

“Armitage, try to calm yourself, you’re going to vibrate right onto the floor.”

Hux peeked up at Kylo from beneath his lashes.

“Sorry.” He mumbled and closed his eyes again. He let his breathing sync up with Kylo’s. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Tell me if it’s too much and we’ll stop.”

Hux nodded and then his world tilted rapidly. The bed dissolved beneath him and he was falling and falling. His mind’s eye blurred and then snapped back into focus. When he opened his eyes tentatively, he gasped at the scene before him.

He was looking at himself, sprawled elegantly on the bed, as he had been minutes before. Only instead of looking like himself - pale and lean, tumbled red hair - he looked celestial, otherworldly. His skin, no longer ghostly pale from a lifetime spent on starships, glowed a soft golden in the low light. His face was the picture of utter adoration; this other Hux looked up at Kylo with such love.

He tore his gaze away from his face and studied the gossamer strands of the Force that really did connect them. He had thought Kylo meant it in a more metaphorical way. He was stunned to see several unbelievably delicate threads of light connecting them. The threads pulsed softly with a spectrum of colours from deep red, soft orange, to the palest of pinks and yellows.

The most vibrant strands connected them at the heart and hands, a vivid array in the dim light. The rest of the threads spun like a web from his fingers, twisted around his wrists and forearms, and wove their way up around his shoulders. These strands were pale; so pale that they were barely visible but for the soft pulses of golden light, they emitted. The variegation of colours blended with the golden hue of his skin. Hux was transfixed - was this how he appeared to Kylo? He reached out a trembling hand to run his fingertips over the other Hux’s arm, wanting to feel these Force-induced filaments for himself but his vision scattered once again.

He then found himself looking up at Kylo. A soft moan escaped his lips, Kylo looked glorious. His skin had the same soft golden sheen which only served to make his deep brown eyes warmer, his soft curls more lustrous. Hux was enchanted. He also had the same iridescent Force energy rippling around him, connecting him to Hux.

His vision blacked out and when he came to, they were locked in a tight embrace. Kylo carefully laid them back against the mountain of pillows at the head of their bed. He rolled them onto their sides, so that they faced each other, hands clasped, legs entwined.

“Stars, Kylo,” Hux tightened his grip on Kylo’s hands. “Is that how you see the galaxy?”

“Not everything, Armitage, just you.”

\----

He feels nauseated. The last few days have been the worst of Hux’s life. Watching Starkiller disintegrate beneath his feet, all those years of work and planning gone. Not to mention all the loyal, well-trained officers and troopers that perished with the planet’s destruction. Hux feels each and every one of those deaths keenly. The final heartbreak came with finding Kylo beaten and bloodied in the snow. There had been so much blood, Hux’s knees go weak thinking of it even now. Too much blood, splashed crimson against the snow, with Kylo crumpled and wounded at the centre of it all.

Hux has kept his constant vigil by the bacta tank for two days now and there’s been very little change. Kylo’s injuries look horrendous in the sickly green-yellow glow of the bacta fluid. Hux slumps in his chair, powerless to help. He can only sit idly by and bear the weight of Kylo’s pain, rage, and grief that flows through their connection.

The medbay is quiet at this late hour. He and Kylo are the only people in the room, the drone of the fans and chirps of the life support systems the only sounds permeating the quiet. Behind Kylo, the sun shields have been retracted and the stars and planets slide silently by as the Finalizer slinks through the inky blackness. Hux removes his greatcoat and slings it over the back of the chair. Slouching forward toward the tabletop, he pillows his head on his crossed arms and slips into a restless slumber. 

He is jerked violently from his sleep by a disorienting clap of thunder and an ozone-scented crackle of lightning. He leaps to his feet, chest heaving, and looks for Kylo. His heart stutters in his chest and he clutches at the table for support as he sees that Kylo is no longer in the bacta tank. Beyond the tank, the light of the stars and planets has been extinguished and there’s nothing beyond the windows but a gaping maw of black nothingness. The Finalizer shudders as it’s wracked by a fierce tremor and the terrifying thunder and lightning continue to rend the air.

Hux dashes for the door of the med bay and barrels down the wide corridor. The ship seems deserted but he can hear cries of distress and pain from behind the many doors along the corridor. 

“Armitage!”

Kylo’s voice slices like a blade through the cacophony of the improbable thunderstorm. He bolts toward a tall, arched doorway at the end of the hall from where Kylo’s voice is emanating. Throwing his weight at the door, it falls open inward, spilling Hux into a grand reception room. To his horror, he sees Kylo collapsed on the floor in front of a rough-hewn throne, Snoke towering over him. Kylo’s lightsaber is lying in pieces beside him, the precious kyber crystal shattered beyond repair. It reflects a kaleidoscopic array of colours up onto the walls of the chamber as more lightning forks across the ceiling.

Snoke raises his hands and snarls something at Kylo that Hux cannot understand. Nevertheless, he cries out in unison with Kylo when bolts of chromatic blue lightning crackle out of Snoke’s hands and jolt through Kylo’s body.

“Armitage!”

Kylo cries out for him before he’s stunned into silence by the waves of terrifying lightning assaulting him. Hux doesn’t hesitate and he throws himself on top of Kylo, shielding him from further attacks. Kylo’s hand slips into his and holds tightly as another burst of lightning punishes them.

Hux gasps awake into the tranquil calm of the med bay. He leaps to his feet and rushes to the tank when he sees that Kylo is still convulsing in the throes of the shared nightmare. Hux hammers his fists uselessly against the thick glass of the tank as he watches Kylo at the mercy of Snoke’s Force-induced nightmare. The frantic chirping and beeping of the monitors indicate that Kylo’s heart rate has increased dangerously.

_Armitage!_

Kylo calls to him again and he hears it with bell-like clarity. Hux is lit up with a frisson of energy that travels rapidly along their connection and he can bear it no longer. 

_Armitage._

Kylo’s voice is softer and more fragile than before. Hux is galvanized into action and slams the call button for the medical attendants. He kicks off his boots and is just pulling the jacket from his shoulders when the door clangs open and two harried medics and a droid hurtle into the room.

“Get me a mask,” He demands, dropping his uniform jacket on the table and reaching down to lift the thin black undershirt up and over his head. “Prepare the tank, I’m going in.”

“But sir,” The first medic stammers, trying to avert her eyes from Hux’s rapid undressing. “It’s against protocol for two patients to occupy one tank.”

Hux shimmies out of his trousers and kicks them away. He crosses his arms and looms over her, menacing though he’s clad only in his black briefs.

“I hardly need you to quote protocol at me, Medic.” He steps toward her. “Now, get me a mask and prepare the tank.”

She nods and scurries away to do his bidding. The other attendant, meanwhile, begins to open the tank. When the lid of the tank depressurizes, he rushes forward with the rolling staircase so that Hux can enter the tank. As the top of the tank rises gently, Kylo is lifted up through the bacta.

The first medic returns with a spare mask. Hux snatches it out of her shaking hands, straps it around the back of his head, and adjusts it over his nose and mouth. He hands the oxygen hose to the attendant who connects it to the life support system. Hux breathes deeply as the oxygen begins to flow. His heart is hammering in his chest. He can still hear Kylo whimpering his name.

_I’m coming, love, just hang on._

He sends this thought singing across their connection and it must soothe Kylo somewhat for his convulsions slow and their connection thrums with a warmth that had been absent since his injury.

The female medic attempts to strap the harness around his shoulders and he twitches irritably out of her grasp. He’ll need his arms free so he pushes the straps down around his chest and hands the end to her to connect to the tank as well.

“It is imperative that Master Ren heals properly,” He barks at them, lifting the mask away from his face, “monitor this tank closely; this is your only assignment.”

They nod, eyes wide with concern. Hux gives a sharp nod of thanks and readjusts his mask. He turns to gracefully slip into the tank alongside Kylo. He signals to them and they scramble to lower the lid of the tank.

The bacta is disorienting at first. His breathing seems overloud in his ears and his heart flutters offbeat. Beyond the curving glass windows to the tank, the two medics and their droid appear weirdly contorted as they fuss with the life support systems.

Hux drags his fingers through the syrupy bacta, agitating the liquid. His hand finds Kylo’s arm and a blessed veil of calm wraps around him. Mindful of Kylo’s injuries, Hux embraces him, slipping his arms around his waist and tangling their legs together. He hooks his chin over Kylo’s shoulder, careful to avoid the lightsabre burns, and tentatively reaches out along their thready force connection.

_Kylo, I’m here now._

\----

“How did you find me?”

Hux reaches over and smoothes Kylo’s damp hair back from his forehead. He laces their fingers together and presses their joined hand tightly to his mouth. He holds them there for a moment while he gathers himself.

“It doesn’t matter.” He whispers against Kylo’s hand. “I found you, you’re alive.”

Kylo’s eyes rove over Hux’s face. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, eyes brimming with questions.

“Was is the Force?”

“I was certainly compelled to go in a certain direction, yes.”

Hux releases Kylo’s hand and twitches the blankets into a neat line. He fidgets with the fabric, plaiting it into folds and avoiding Kylo’s eyes.

“What else did you see, Armitage?”

“I didn’t think it was possible.” Hux breaks off and reaches for Kylo’s hand again. “But those threads that you said connected us? I could see them. I followed them through the forest and I’m sure they brought me to you. How could that be?”

“It is possible, Armitage. It was the will of the Force.”

Kylo untangles his hand from Hux’s and reaches up to cup his face. He strokes his thumb over Hux’s pale cheek, sighing when Hux leans into the touch.

“It wasn’t like before, love, it wasn’t a bright array of colours. The threads were pale, they were so pale. When I finally found you in that clearing, the threads just looked like dead things, there was hardly any brightness about them.”

Hux covers Kylo’s hand with his own and presses their joined hands to his cheek. He senses Kylo’s grief and remorse skitter across their connection.

“I’m sorry, Armitage. I’m so sorry I put you through this, on top of everything else that’s happened.”

Hux presses a kiss to Kylo’s palm, wanting to assuage some of Kylo’s remorse and sets their joined hands gently down on the bed.

“I’d be lying if I said that’s how I thought events would play out,” Kylo’s eyes shift guiltily away but Hux catches his chin and turns his face back to him, “but we’re alive, we can recover from this, I think.”

A faint tremor runs through Kylo’s hand and he grasps tightly to Hux’s hand.

“Did Snoke send you to find me?”

Hux brushes his thumb in careful circles over the back of Kylo’s hand as he deliberates his answer.

“He did,” Hux admits. “But I already had a team assembled and a shuttle waiting to fetch you back before he called me to the conference chamber. I probably could have found you sooner if I hadn’t had to waste time informing him of the situation in person.”

Hux admits this last part absently, almost as an afterthought. Kylo trembles beneath him and he sucks in a breath at how treasonous he sounded in the moment.

“And I suppose he ordered you to deliver me?”

Hux nods and peers down at Kylo. “He did, but we’ve had no further communication with him since Starkiller went down.” Hux reaches over and tucks an errant curl behind Kylo’s ear. “We’ve been hiding in the Unknown Regions awaiting his transmission.”

Hux’s fingertips whisper over the shell of Kylo’s ear as he draws his hand back.

“What--”

Kylo is interrupted as Hux’s comm device crackles to life on the bedside table.

“General Hux, sir, Supreme Leader Snoke has made contact. He requests an audience with you immediately.”

\----

Kylo’s emotions are so entangled with his own that Hux can no longer separate them. He is heartbroken, furious, and grief-stricken all at once. Hux reels as another tendril of Kylo’s upset and fear shivers along their connection. He presses his fist into the remnants of the phantom bowcaster injury in his side, using the imagined pain to focus his furious mind, and resumes his dictation of Snoke’s coordinates to Mitaka.

“Snoke has ordered us to deliver Master Ren to his ship and we’re to rendezvous with the _Virago_ in two cycles--”

He wheels around as the door to the bridge opens with the sharp _snick_. Kylo shuffles onto the bridge, Hux’s greatcoat wrapped around his slumped shoulders, his eyes fierce and bright.

_Armitage._

Hux locks eyes with Kylo and everything around him melts away. All the fear, all the grief was gone, replaced by only a stark determination not to be separated. He turns back to the console.

“Scrub that order, Lieutenant put the ship on red alert and prepare for battle.” Hux squares his shoulders. “We’ll not be delivering Lord Ren after all.”

As the crew bursts into action around them, Kylo makes his slow way to Hux’s side. They lean into one another, calm and resolute in their decision. The sirens blare as the crew takes up their positions at consoles, blasters and pistols at the ready. Hux feels a fine tremor ripple through Kylo’s still-healing body.

“You’re safe, Kylo,” he whispers amid the controlled chaos, “you’ll always be safe with me, I promise.”

“I know, Armitage, I know. I can sense it.”

“So can I.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my submission to the Kylux Anthology 2017. The wonderful Christoph_In_the_Night_Sky stepped in last minute with some gorgeous art (which will be posted on tumblr this weekend), seriously, it's lovely, you should check it out.
> 
> This story was written well back at the beginning of this year before we knew much about Hux. I'm not entirely happy with this story, I think there are ideas in here that could be expanded on - maybe one day I'll attempt it! Until then, please enjoy.


End file.
